The First Tea Roses Smelled Like Tea and Came From the Orient.

Emilie Charron.Tea Rose.

The first Tea roses (R. odorata) were actually 'tea-scented', smelling like black China tea, and were thought to be Oriental cultivars - a cross between Rosa chinensis (China Roses) and Rosa gigantea, a large climbing yellow rose from Asia with pale yellow blossoms, before 1810. Cultivars simply means that humans had a hand in their cultivation (Cultivated Varieties).

When they were first introduced to Europe in the early 1800's, they were crossed with more China roses and then Bourbons and Noisettes. They are repeat-flowering (hence their popularity) and their colours range from white, pale pink, yellow and apricot.

Their stems or canes are weaker giving them a lovely weeping, nodding habit. Their petals open out in a spiral pattern, and tend to roll back at the edges with a pointed tip.

They are the original, classic florists' roses. Growers would call them 'Tea Roses' if they had the popular Teas' appearance, and 'China Roses' if they did not.

They are not tolerant of cold, and this is one reason that they have been crossed and re-crossed with hardier roses since their arrival. But they have other good qualities which is why their descendants are so high in demand.

Examples: 'Lady Hillingdon', 'Maman Cochet', 'Duchesse de Brabant', 'Mrs. Foley Hobbs'. Below are just some of these old beauties, the Teas.

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'Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose'. - Turkish